Brakpan, South Africa – Jeffrey Mathebula defeated fellow South African Takalani Ndlovu in a split decision to claim the IBF junior featherweight belt on Saturday at the Carnival City Casino.
Mathebula won 117-111 and 116-112 on the scorecards of judges Neville Hotz and Jaap van Nieuwenhuizen, while judge Alfred Bukwana scored it 115-113 in favor of Ndlovu.
"Mongoose" Mathebula appeared winded after the fourth round, but he fought back in the later rounds to take revenge after losing a split decision to Ndlovu in their previous bout.
There were no knockdowns and neither fighter seemed capable of winning by a knockout, but Mathebula (26-3-2 14 KOs) won the last three rounds to relive the champion of his title.
Ndlovu, who was defending his title for the second time, dropped to 33-7 with 18 knockouts.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
